Corn Chowder; The Mini Skirt Way

I’m pretty certain no one ever thought they’d see the words “Corn Chowder” and “Mini Skirt” in the same headline….

I’m going to warn you all right now. When I make soup or chili, I make a lot so that I can freeze it. This recipe freezes really well.

Here goes.

I usually use corn from the garden, but frozen corn can be substituted.

Place 4 ears – 6 ears of corn in a pot and about 6-8 cups of water, until the corn is floating. I then throw in a dash of sugar and salt and boil until the corn is soft. I don’t know how to tell if it’s actually done, I just know from boiling a lot of corn. I usually do this step the night before I make Corn Chowder. I drain the water, and let the corn cool, and then place it in a zip lock bag in the fridge. When I’m ready to make Corn Chowder (usually the very next day) I pull the corn out and using a knife cut the kernels from the cob.

Then the real fun starts.

6-8 cups of water
6-8 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed. I use red or Yukon gold usually.
1 onion, chopped
1-2 stalks of celery, chopped
1-2 large carrots, chopped
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced. I like garlic so I usually use more, but this is really up to you.
1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cup of vegetable broth/bouillon, or chicken broth/bouillon or beef broth/bouillon.
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. Lawry’s or other salt free seasoning
Pepper to taste – fresh ground pepper is the best
3-5 cups fresh or frozen corn
2 tbsp. butter
2/3 cup. scallions, minced
1/2 – 1 cup of heavy cream or half and half
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh dill, minced

Bring water to a boil and add potatoes, onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Return water to a boil and add sage, thyme, oregano, sea salt, Lawry’s or other salt free seasoning and pepper. Cover, and simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender, but not mushy. Add the 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups of broth or bouillon, corn and continue to simmer. In a sauce pan, melt butter and add scallions. Saute until scallions turn bright green, approximately 3 minutes. Stir into simmering chowder. Add the heavy cream and dill, and simmer for about 15 more minutes. Stir regularly. If this seems runny, you can add a little milk to some cornstarch and add to Chowder, stirring continuously.

This is just the basic chowder recipe I use. I serve this just like this. Sometimes, however, I’ll add:

Cooked cubed chicken or ham, bacon, browned ground beef, other vegetables, and sometimes shrimp.

If you make this, please leave a comment, I’d love to know your thoughts, suggestions or any changes you made.